The Inception of Ordained Interfaith and Independent Ministers
Author: Barbara Eberle

Traditionally, prospective ministers, pastors, priests and
rabbi obtain education either through their respective
religious institutions, or by the study of theology at an
accredited university. They are then appointed by the
church as a church leader and are given the authority to
promote their religion by heading religious institutions
and leading congregations.

However, as the world shrinks and cultures and races merge,
the traditional representative of the church, mosque or
synagogue may find it difficult to accommodate the needs of
a changing population. Bound by dogma and religious law,
they are often prohibited to minister to those in need of
interracial, interfaith or intercultural services. In
evolutionary terms, this leaves a void and creates a need
for an interfaith or independent approach to religion and
spirituality.

This void is becoming more and more evident as traditional
churches continue to loose a large number of their members.
An example can be found in the Protestant religion. In
April and May of 2007, LifeWay Research performed a survey
of 1,023 Protestants and found that 70% of Protestants
between the ages of 23 to 30 dropped out of Church (margin
of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points). Among
other reasons, dropouts claimed they left the church
because they needed a break, did not feel connected, found
church members judgmental or hypocritical, were too busy
with college, work or other friends outside of the church
or disagreed with the political agenda of the church.

Various methods continue to develop in attempts to fill the
need for interfaith and independent spiritual services.
Its not surprising that the online ordained minister has
become popular. Becoming an interfaith or independent
minister can be accomplished by performing a simple Google
search. Numerous organizations and churches now offer
online and instant ordinations. Some offer education,
training and study in the comparative religions with a
residency requirement and a formal ordination upon
completion. Some offer instant ordination with support,
training and education available to those who choose to use
it. These ordained ministers cater to the needs of the
non-churchgoers who still get married, have children,
become sick, loose loved ones through death and need
spiritual counseling on a variety of life issues.

Accordingly, the definition of "minister" is evolving. Not
bound by dogma or creed, the independent and interfaith
ministerial movement is growing and appears to profess a
common believe—a nonjudgmental approach to ministering to
those of different faiths, cultures and beliefs by
ministering according to the Golden Rule.

Interestingly, the word "nonjudgmental" can be threatening
to the devout religious believer in spite of the fact that
each great spiritual text teaches unconditional love and
nonjudgment as part of its major components. The Golden
Rule, for example, can be found in the texts of all the
world's great religions:

"One should always treat others as they themselves wish to
be treated." Hinduism, from the Hitopadesa (3200 BC)
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Judaism,
Leviticus 19:18 (1300 BC) "Hurt not others with that which
pains yourself." Buddhism, Udanavarga (560BC) "What you
do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."
Confucianism, Analects (557 BC) "No one of you is a
believer until he desires for his brother that which he
desires for himself." Islam, Koran (620AD) "Regard your
neighbor's gain as your gain and your neighbor's loss as
your loss." Taoist, Tai-shang, Kang-ying P'ien (500 BC)
"Whatsoever ye would that others should do to you, do ye
even so to them." Christianity, 7:12 – King James Version
(30 AD)

An important question to consider regarding interfaith and
independent ministers is, are they legitimate? According
to dictionary.com, legitimate means:

1. according to law; lawful

If we look at the wording of the first amendment,
("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…") then
any ordained independent or interfaith minister must be
legitimate as well as the more traditional clergy members.
Yet, many states place restrictions upon what legitimizes a
minister, as when it comes to solemnizing marriages. Take
the state of Virginia for example. To register, you must
appear in person in Arlington County and show your
Certificate of Ordination, a picture ID, and pay a $16.00
fee. You will be asked some questions which may include
asking if your organization is in alignment with the
definition of a church as given by the IRS (namely, an
established 501(c)3). But there is no law requiring a
church or spiritual organization to be tax-exempt. The IRS
definition only applies to those organizations that are
seeking a tax-exempt status. Does that mean that all other
spiritual and religious organizations that pay taxes are
not legitimate? Or, has the first amendment been
overlooked in this instance? Concerns about the integrity
and legitimacy of clerics seems valid. Clergy, as a whole,
receive respect and admiration by the very nature of their
calling and are often viewed as trusted mentors, teachers,
role models and faithful leaders. Can the grass roots
interfaith and independent ministry movement stand up to
such expectations? Can they be trusted? Yet, the question
begs—can traditionally ordained clergy be trusted as well.
When a Google search for interfaith minister and abuse is
performed, the searcher finds the first page filled with
links to sites that claim to care for the abused or to help
those abusing drugs, etc. When a Google search for
Catholic priest and abuse is performed, the entire first
page is filled with links to pages about the recent scandal
where priests sexually abused children. It seems
reasonable to conclude, then, that a cleric as a member of
an established world religion does not, by itself,
demonstrate trustworthiness. Similarly, interfaith and
independent ministries have little history upon which to
base a qualified answer to these important questions.

Religions, by their very nature, profess a right/wrong
philosophy through creed and dogma. Yet, sacred texts,
creed and dogma are open to interpretation as to what
constitutes right and wrong. Disagreements on
interpretations abound. Indeed, current events attest to
the tragic world events rooted in religious disagreements
(September 11, the Arab-Israeli conflicts, and our current
state of affairs).

"When Religion Turns Evil" by Baptist Minister Dr. Charles
Kimball, (2003) defines five signs of corruption in
religions. They are: absolute truth claims, blind
obedience, establishing the "ideal" time, the end justifies
any means, and declaring holy war." These attributes can
be found in the Nazis, the Crusades and in the cults of Jim
Jones and David Koresh.

Self-righteousness, then, is present as a common trait
found in the actions of the Nazis, the Crusaders and both
the Jones and Koresh cults. The Golden Rule espoused by
all the great religions was forgotten in each case. The
world would benefit if all spiritual and religious
organizations would take heed of the warning offered in
Matthew 23:27-28:

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look
beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead
men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on
the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the
inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

It seems then that the major qualifications necessary for
someone to become a legitimate cleric (either an
independent clergy or a cleric with a major religion) and
minister to the spiritual needs of others would be twofold:
a deep desire to live a life free from self-righteous
tendencies, and a life dedicated to the practice of the
Golden Rule. The basic concept of love that is found in
all of the great texts would then be practiced, promoting
tolerance, understanding, compassion and peace.


About the Author:

Rev. Barbara Eberle, MA, OMC is an Ordained Ministerial
Counselor who has a passion for promoting Interfaith
tolerance and is the Managing Member of The Ministerial
Seminary of America, LLC. at
http://www.ministerialseminary.com